


Revelations

by lydzie102



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/F, No Malcolm, Nyssa gets revenge, Ra's likes games, Thea didn't kill Sara, alt 3x09
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-05
Updated: 2015-02-05
Packaged: 2018-03-10 15:33:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3295610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lydzie102/pseuds/lydzie102
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oliver reached the top of the mountain and immediately Nyssa knew that things had changed. She knew because when Oliver looked into her eyes, he had the face of a man about to deliver bad news. With that one look, Nyssa knew that Sara's killer had been found.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Revelations

Nyssa waited and waited and then waited some more. It had been plaguing her for weeks. It had created a deep ache within her; agony ran hot from the top of her head to the soles of her feet. Every night, at her weakest hour, her mind demanded answers.

Who did it? Who killed Sara? Who plunged three arrows into her beloved’s chest?

Forbidden to search for answers by her father, her heart was left torn and it bled more each day. Instead of seeking revenge, she had been forced to wait for Queen to satisfy. Did she believe that he would arrive with the killer? No. Did she believe that he would beg for more time and resources? Certainly. Nyssa scoffed, he would never get the job done.

She would have been swift. Deliberate and focused under the stealth of the night. She would have brought Sara’s killer to their knees within days. She couldn’t however. She was unable to seek justice, unable to avenge her fallen lover.

Sara, her soul cried. Her Ta-er al-Sahfer, her Yellow Bird lay six feet under; never to be seen again, unable to be touched by the healing waters of her private pit. Too much time had passed for it to take root.

It seemed like it was yesterday that she had come across the fiery blonde on Lian Yu. She and a small task force of league members had been sent to investigate a series of suspicious behaviour on the usually quiet island. She was moments away from calling off the hunt by the shoreline when she saw the glare of a sniper scope and the barrel of the poorly hidden gun.

She had moved gracefully down the beach away from the sniper and after some time doubled back to the general area of the sniper. Finally, she peeked around a large tree trunk and saw a short woman manning the gun. The woman had shoulder length blonde hair that was caked in filth and ridden with tangles and the torn grey cargo pants and black camisole hung loosely on her.

_Nyssa deliberately stepped on a few twigs near her and the blonde woman snapped around to stand in a defensive position and simultaneously pulled a pistol from her leg holster._

_Nyssa looked into the cold, defiant blue eyes before her and after brief deliberation was pleased, “Oh. You’ll do nicely.”_

_“Tell me, what is your name?”_

_The woman didn’t answer and instead tightened her grip on the gun and narrowed her eyes._

_Nyssa walked around the woman in a slow circle, with each revolution she moved closer and the woman moved further away with a noticeable limp._

_“What is your name?” Nyssa asked again._

_The woman’s mouth twitched, “Who’s asking?”_

_The assassin stopped and smirked, “I am Nyssa al Ghul, daughter of Ra’s al Ghul, Heir to the Demon.”_

_The blonde raised an eyebrow, “Fancy. Is that supposed to mean anything to me?”_

_Nyssa’s smirk grew predatory, “It will; in time.”_

In her attempt to escape Nyssa, the women had moved directly into the path of a league member standing behind her. Nyssa gave a command in Arabic and before the blonde could move, a stinking cloth was shoved to her nose and she knew no more.

Nyssa refocused, ignored the lingering ache the memory induced and watched her father as he stood stock still in the middle of the candle-lit area - a picture of calm and ease.

He radiated strength and confidence; something that even as a young child Nyssa had admired and wanted to replicate. He stood in a similar stance as her own: feet planted firmly shoulder-width apart, head facing straight forward and hands clasped together behind his back. His fingers adorned with a multitude of silver and gold rings. He wore all black (as per usual), a collarless button up shirt and suit jacket, straight cut pants, a long woollen robe with gold trimmings and accents that rested on the floor and steel-toed boots. However, what drew the eyes in was a medium sized gold pendant in the shape of a demonic figure with horns, its red eyes standing out against the silver. Imposing and dark, every bit the Demon’s Head as his title suggests.

This was all to teach Queen a lesson, he had told her. It was to teach him to never cross the League. It was the reason she could not seek revenge herself and it only made her despise him even more. So she waited for Queen to make his appearance and confirm that he hadn’t found Sara’s killer.

Finally, after ten more minutes of deathly silence, she saw movement; four of her League members surrounding a dazed Oliver Queen as they dragged him in. He looked around bewildered but when he saw her and her father, now standing side by side, he shook the cobwebs from his mind and gained some composure.

Quickly and predictably, he masked his emotions and produced that damnable arrogant, self-righteous expression that she had regularly seen directed at her.

“Kneel before the Demon’s Head,” Maseo now known as Sarab spoke.

Nyssa sneered as Queen refused to show respect and silently encouraged Sarab’s attempt to cleave off his head. Yet, once again her desires were foiled by her father.

“There was only one way to avoid bloodshed in this city and that was to produce for me, the one who killed Ta-er al-Sahfer. Yet, you’ve come alone.” Ra’s spoke and moved behind the Arrow.

Oliver looked Nyssa in the eyes, “I killed Sara. She begged me to; the league was quickly killing what little soul she had left.”

A deep, fierce anger coursed through Nyssa’s body, hot and thick like lava and just as excruciating. Of course, Nyssa did not believe him but the fact that he had the audacity to try and pass it off as the truth, enraged her. Oh, how she wished she could end his life; see the arrogance slip from his face and the light leave his eyes.

Nyssa drew her dagger from her leg holster with a shrill battle cry, “Lies,” she hissed and made to flick her wrist in his direction.

“Stop,” her father reproached, unimpressed. 

Nyssa reluctantly re-holstered her dagger under her father’s gaze and stepped further away to avoid temptation but the need to lash out remained. Sara would never forgive her if she succeeded in killing him.

He returned his gaze to Oliver, “Forgive my daughter Mister Queen, she often allows her emotions cloud her judgement.”

Ra’s walked back in front of Oliver and fixed him with an unimpressed expression, “However, her anger is justified Mister Queen. I should have Sarab cleave your head from your shoulders, not for killing my daughter’s beloved but for thinking me a fool.”

Nyssa watched as Queen did his annoying looking through a person expression, “By League law,” he looked Ra’s in the eyes before continuing, “I have a right to challenge you to a Trial by Combat.”

Nyssa scoffed quietly as her father accepted the challenge, she glanced once more at Queen and followed her father out. He wouldn’t last five minutes with her father and she looked forward to watching him fall. Not only that but when the Arrow would fall, she would be free hunt down Sara’s killer. For now, she had a rooftop in the Glades to visit.

\--

Oliver drowned out the noise around him and concentrated on packing his dark green duffle bag. The shouting had been going on for longer than he cared for. It wasn’t surprising - he had expected this kind of reaction after telling the team that he had challenged Ra’s.

“I thought you were supposed to be the rational thinker out of all of us Digg! Why are entertaining this ridiculously suicidal plan?” Felicity spoke, dangerously close to using ‘loud voice.’

Diggle firmly placed his hands on her shoulders and ducked down to meet her eyes, “Felicity, I don’t like this as much as you do but it's not like he can just cancel on Ra’s al Ghul.”

Of course, Felicity and Diggle were dead set against it and doggedly tried to convince him that it was a bad idea. It was too late however, his challenge had been accepted; he couldn’t back out now. He wouldn’t anyway.

He looked around the foundry for what hopefully wasn’t the last time. Oliver couldn’t help but quirk his lips at the visual evidence of ‘Interior Designer’ Felicity. It seemed like it was only yesterday that Felicity and Diggle dragged him back from Lian Yu to the new and improved lair after the Undertaking. The modern design and extreme cleanliness had grown on him and had become more of a home than the mansion and Thea’s apartment ever was.

Oliver didn’t know where he would be without Felicity, Diggle and later Roy. They had been the solid support structure that he never knew he needed when he first started his crusade to save the city. Diggle was the voice of reason on many occasions and an extremely competent sparring partner. He had been with him since nearly day one and even though there were a few bumps in the road along the way, they had formed a strong friendship and partnership.

Felicity offered her computer- wiz no-how and emotional advice that had always kept him grounded. She even provided harsh reality checks regarding his admittedly sometimes ‘douche baggy’ behaviour that made him admire her even more. Her seemingly endless unintentional innuendoes always supplied great entertainment that made her more endearing.

Then there was Roy; a good young man, a little rough around the edges but with good intentions. He had taken in Roy, trained him to the best of ability and along with the others, had helped him overcome his bout with the Mirakuru. Besides Roy previously dating Thea and the issues that came with that, Oliver felt that they had bonded and that they could trust each other.

He looked back over their time together and wondered how he ever thought he could do the mission alone.

Before his team, however, there was Sara.

Strong, independent Sara who was buried six feet deep in the ground.

Before the Queen’s Gambit, Sara had been a new thrill for him; forbidden fruit, his girlfriend’s little sister. Back then he cared little for feelings and was just a spoilt trust fund baby. He never cared about the possible consequences of sleeping multiple times with Sara.

Sara was what he thought he needed back then, she was free-spirited and not at all clingy like Laurel was. Laurel wanted an apartment, a family and a future but he wasn’t ready for all of that. He knew that with Sara he could have great, no strings attached sex and not have to worry about her wanting more. Everything was going great and they hadn’t been caught. Sara had said she was okay with the arrangement but he didn’t know that she was harbouring a large crush on him. To be honest, he didn’t think knowing that would have stopped him at the time, regardless of whether it hurt her or not.

Then he took her onto the Gambit and things went south from there. He remembered the fear and pain that overcame him when he couldn’t grab her hand before she was suctioned out of the boat. Even when his father had pulled him onto the life raft, all he could think about was her screaming his name in a panic and her body disappearing into the inky black water. For days afterwards in the raft and with Yao Fei, his nightmares had been filled with her sweet face contorted with fear.

Then the Amazo happened and there she was; tougher, scared and dirty but beautifully alive. The relief was short-lived, as she had been lost again after the freighter sunk in their attempt to escape. He had nearly made his peace with losing her when he returned to Starling City but Detective Lance and Laurel were a constant reminder. Then the identity of the female vigilante had been revealed as Sara and once again, she was back in his life. It probably wasn’t wise to enter into a relationship with her but they shared similar experiences and she had understood. Sara was familiar and so they jumped into whatever it was they had.

This time, however, she wasn’t coming back. She wasn’t in some remote part of the world; she was in her grave, three arrow wounds in her chest, never to return.

Now he had the League on his back; Ra’s and Nyssa al Ghul, the Demon’s Head and the Heir.

Nyssa had been a constant anomaly for him; sure she helped the team when they needed it but her methods were everything that the team now stood against. For Nyssa it was kill first, ask questions later.

Her unpredictability was always a concern and it was clear that without Sara, Nyssa became unhinged and felt that she was free to ignore any and all consequences.

It was a massive growl from Felicity that brought him back to the present and Oliver walked from his duffle to stand in front of her.

“Felicity, I have to do this.”

She closed her eyes briefly, “I don’t understand Oliver. Why would you offer yourself in place of the killer?”

He gently placed the side of his right index finger under her chin and raised her head, “If I didn’t do something, the League were going to shed even more blood in this city and I couldn’t let that happen.”

“Couldn’t you have convinced Nyssa for more time? Anything but this Oliver.”

Oliver shook his head, “You know that wasn’t an option. We both know that if I didn’t do something, you, Digg, Thea and Roy would be the first people they target.”

A single tear slid down Felicity’s left cheek, she sighed deeply; resigned and nodded jerkily, “I know. It doesn’t mean that I have to like it.”

He gently pulled her into a hug and she rested her head against his shoulder. Oliver savoured the comfort that she provided and hoped that he’d be able to feel this again.

Diggle placed his hand on Oliver’s shoulder, looked him in the eyes and nodded in acceptance. Then he wrapped his own arm around Felicity and the three enjoyed the moment.

Oliver opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by loud sirens blaring ominously and Felicity’s beloved computers screens flashing red.

“No, no, no. Please not now,” she screamed, she ran towards the monitors and jumped into her seat. Felicity quickly typed codes onto the keyboard and frantically looked at the screens. “Shit.”

Oliver and Digg now alarmed at her panic crowded around her and tried to make sense of the numerous programs on the computers.

“What’s going on Felicity?” Diggle spoke with wide eyes.

Felicity gasped, “Someone’s hacking our system!”

Oliver moved closer and rested his left hand on the back of her chair, “Who?”

Felicity shook her head, “I don’t know!”

On the middle screen and large blue and black loading bar popped up, declaring fifty percent and slowly climbing.

Diggle ran his hand over the top of his head, “What are they uploading?”

“No clue.”

The bar hit seventy-five percent and Felicity increased her pace but it was useless, it wasn’t working.

Oliver’s heart was in his throat. This was the worst possible timing for an unknown entity to hack them. He had no idea who was trying upload something onto their systems; it could be anyone, someone they knew or a new foe. It felt like Cooper Seldon all over again.

_Ninety percent._

“Felicity,” Oliver urged tensely.

Felicity huffed, “I’m doing the best I can.”

She tried to cut off the hacker again but she was frozen out.

She tried the age-old trick of slapping the monitors but nothing happened. “Shit. They’ve completely frozen me. I can’t even move my mouse!”

_Ninety-seven percent._

_One-hundred percent._

All three of them held their breath and watched the bar as it reached its maximum. Nothing happened for a while and then the screens turned black.

“What’s happening?” Oliver whispered and clenched his fists.

The screens flickered three times before a message in capital white letters appeared across the three monitors.

 

**IT’S TIME YOU LEARNED THE TRUTH**

 

On all three monitors, a grainy, dark image of Sara in her Canary costume appeared on a familiar rooftop, watching as Laurel walked off screen. In the bottom left-hand corner of the video, a tall, hooded figure in black appeared with a custom bow in his hand and a black quiver on their back.

“Oh, God. Is this…?” Felicity whispered weakly.

“Hello, Sara.” The figure’s voice was deep and raspy.

They watched as Sara turned backwards to looked at the speaker. She looked confused and exceedingly scared, “What are you doing here?”

Felicity sobbed when the first arrow pierced Sara’s chest and tucked her head into Diggle’s stomach for the second and third. It hurt to see Sara’s body on the medical table when they had walked in but to actually see how she died caused a pain beyond measure.

“No,” Oliver whispered under his breath and he staggered back in disbelief. He recognised that bow and quiver but if he was right, the reason for Sara’s death was inconceivable.

The figure turned to walk off and the video froze on the killer’s face. It was grainy but clear enough to identify features.

Digg looked closer at the monitors with red eyes, “Do you recognise him?”

Felicity shook her head and wiped at her eyes under her glasses, “I’ve never seen him before.”

She turned around in her seat, “Oliver do you…”

He was gone and so was his duffel bag.

\--

Nyssa felt torn. Like there were one thousand hands gripping her soul and pulling with all their might. It had started the night of Sara’s death and had only intensified since then. She could hear her blood rushing through her ears and feel a lump in her throat. She had felt such things only once prior to this in her adult life; she had no desire to reflect anymore on the cause of that pain.

Today was bittersweet. On one hand; she would finally see Queen Fall, on the other, her father and herself knew that Oliver did not kill Sara. Therefore, Ta-er al-Sahfer’s murderer was still out there, rendering this trial meaningless.

That fact made the ache in her chest worsen.

Nyssa’s hand reached down to the hilt of her dagger in her right leg holster. It was a gift from Sara to celebrate their third year together and had provided her with a small amount of comfort since her death.

She had not been the type to exchange gifts but she could not help but indulge her lover. When the clock had struck midnight on their third year, they had sat crossed legged and opposite each other on the Heir’s large bed and exchanged boxes. Nyssa’s was oblong, slim with a black velvet covering. She had looked Sara in the eyes with a raised eyebrow and chuckled huskily when the blonde eagerly motioned her to open it.

So she did and inside nestled in a deep red velvet cushioning was the most beautiful dagger she had seen. It was around ten inches long and half of the hilt was in the shape of a dragon’s tail. It had a black leather grip and the pattern of a fire-breathing dragon along a silver and bronze coloured blade. The blade was jagged and each point looked sharp enough to cut with the slightest graze. It was masterful and she had been speechless. It took longer than she was proud of to feel Sara’s arms around her neck but she quickly wrapped her own around Sara’s waist and kissed her in gratitude.

Nyssa felt that the black leather jacket she had picked out for Sara was nowhere near as worthy as the dagger she had just received. Her Canary had loved it though and wouldn’t take it off for the rest of the day.

Times were simple back then, she had a routine; train, eat, work an assignment, come home to Sara and sleep. There was no Arrow, no Malcolm Merlyn, no Earthquakes, no Slade Wilson or Mirakuru.

There was just Sara. Strong, beautiful Sara; her Canary, her Ta-er al-Sahfer.

Now there was only a longing for something she could no longer have.

Returning to the league after discovering Sara’s death was one of the worst experiences of her life.  Typically, while Sara was away on a mission, Nyssa would wait impatiently in their room for her to come back so she could greet her with a kiss. She had walked into their room for the first time since returning from Starling and was overwhelmed by the realisation that Sara wasn’t coming back. The room was suddenly too big and empty, so she had spent a little time as possible there. Nyssa chose to get what little sleep she managed in her personal dojo. She had also shared the space with Sara and memories of the two of them still haunted her but it was more bearable than their bedroom.

“He approaches,” her father’s ominous voice stated from the right of her, he was perched on a higher part of the mountain.

Of course, her father had thought her foolish. In his eyes, Sara was her weakness. He thought Sara undeserving of anything other than contempt; after all, she had betrayed the league by leaving. It mattered little to him that she had returned and he only agreed to allow her back because Nyssa personally pleaded with him. Even then he took a lot of convincing.

Sara’s second initiation into the league had been many times worse than her first. Each test, Sara had to defeat twice as many league members than the regular amount and more often than not the odds seemed against her. Nyssa had protested but was unheard; she knew it would be brutal for Sara but that prior knowledge failed to make it easier to watch. Unfortunately for Nyssa at the time, she could not hide her pride at the fact that Sara had made it through each test victorious.

Even Ra’s couldn’t deny that Sara had more than proved her worth to re-enter the league.

Nyssa hadn’t made Sara gaining her trust back easy; no matter how much she wanted to give in and accept her back into her arms. Sara had made it explicitly clear on the boat ride back to Nanda Parbat, that she was willing to do everything within her power to get them back to where they were before the Undertaking. Nyssa had scoffed and told her that under no circumstances was that ever going to happen. Sara had just grinned at her; confident in her own capabilities.

Months had passed and whilst they hadn’t resumed their relationship, they were close and Nyssa was about to make the first move. After everything that had happened and the façade she had put up, Nyssa had never stopped loving Sara.

Movement to her left and the sound of crunching snow drew her attention.

Oliver reached the top of the mountain and immediately Nyssa knew that things had changed. She knew because when Oliver looked into her eyes, he had the face of a man about to deliver bad news. With that one look, Nyssa knew that Oliver had found Sara’s killer.

He dropped his duffel in the snow as Sarab approached and told him to remove his shirt. Nyssa had been on the receiving end of Queen’s hate-filled eyes many times during all of their interactions but this time his hard blue eyes weren’t focused on her.

They were looking at Sarab.

“Choose your weapon,” Sarab spoke. Nyssa noticed that he seemed unaware of Queen’s resentment towards him; most likely he thought it was aimed towards them all.

Queen looked at her briefly and subtly jerked his head back at Sarab as he walked past him and chose his weapon. Nyssa felt like all the air was knocked out of her and her expression faulted just enough for Queen to understand he got his message across.  She was conflicted; surely Queen was mistaken. If his accusations were proven true…

“I was eleven years old when I killed my first man,” her father spoke and drew her attention. She approached the imposing man in order to hold his clothes.

For every layer Ra's gave her, Nyssa felt like boulders were being placed on her shoulders. The musky scent of her father surrounded her and nausea swept over her harshly.

Did she believe Queen?

Ra’s looked at her, “And I have killed several thousand more men since then,” he turned to face Queen, “And the world is better off for it.”

Queen stood firm, his blades grasped tightly in his hands, “You’ve taken your last life,” he spoke using his raspy ‘Arrow’ voice.

Ra's made a soft noise of disagreement, “You’ve lived your last day. We are ready.”

Nyssa walked towards Queen with her father’s clothes.

Did she believe?

She drew closer to him.

No. She didn’t. She couldn’t.

“I’m envious of you. You’ll see her before I do.”

Nyssa took her position next to Sarab as her father and Queen said their final words. She felt nausea again; stronger this time and the hands on her soul pulled tighter.

The feeling of wrongness penetrated deep into her bones and she did her best to maintain a neutral expression. Her father hated displays of emotion but it was difficult, Queen had turned her world upside-down.

The fight had begun, immediately it was apparent that Queen was severely outmatched and Nyssa couldn’t take pleasure in that fact. It was like an out of body experience, her body was there but her mind and soul detached.

Sarab shifted next to her when her father drew blood on Queen’s right arm.

Could Sarab really have done it? Could he have killed Sara?

What motive would he have had? He arrived at the League as Maseo Yamashiro in the same year that she had brought in Sara. To her knowledge, they had rarely came in contact with each other and most likely never spoke. He had trained alongside the other recruits with Sensei but she had personally trained Sara.

Her father raised his blade to Queen’s neck and slowly backed him towards the cliff edge.

Sarab shifted to his left again, his quiver and some of his bows bumped into her left shoulder and she gasped quietly as a powerful headache and fog overcame her. Her ears burned images and voices flashed in her mind as though she was viewing memories.

_She was in her father’s personal chamber but not in her own body. Her father was facing away from her; his long robe hanging loosely on his shoulders and his hands clasped behind his back._

_The body she was in dropped to their knees._

_“Ta-er al-Sahfer has travelled to Starling City on an assignment I have given her,” his voice held thinly veiled contempt._

_He faced forward and the body raised its head, “You are to find Sara Lance and eliminate her.”_

_The body bowed its head once more, rose to its feet and turned to walk out of the room._

 She screeched in agony and raised her hands to her head to try to sooth the ache but the pain kept on hitting her.

“Nyssa!” Sarab shouted, he moved in front of her and held her shoulders.

She screamed again as more images consumed her.

_She landed on a rooftop and looked up to see her Canary facing away._  

_The body’s mouth opened, “Hello, Sara.”_

_Sara turned and looked confused, “What are you doing here?”_

_Nyssa protested but against her will the body drew a bow and arrow, she cried out as the arrows hit their mark. She could only helplessly watch as Sara’s body tumbled over the edge._  

_Sara!_

_Her cries were silent as the body turned and retreated._

_Sara!_

 

“Sara!” She screamed into Sarab’s face.

Her father had turned to face her and looked livid at the interruption, “Nyssa! What is this madness?”

Nyssa’s soul cried strongly, she was consumed with rage and a hazy red filled her vision. Before her father could question her further, she reached her hands to Sarab’s head, he wasn’t quick enough to react and she fatally snapped his neck and let his body drop heavily to the floor.

She looked to Queen behind her father; he was on his knees in the snow as he gasped for breath near the cliff edge. They locked eyes and a message was passed between them; she believed.

Her own father had ordered the kill on Sara. Even though the blood on his blade was from Oliver’s wrist wound, Nyssa could only imagine it as being Sara’s. Her father had killed her Yellow Bird.

Nyssa felt betrayal beyond anything she had ever experienced. It was worse than when she had realised that Sara had left her and the League. Nyssa felt like her world had been swept from underneath her as she struggled for breath and her body felt weightless.

She knew her father held a strong grudge against Sara since the day she had joined the League all those years ago and it had only gotten worse over time but she never thought he would take it this far.

The hands on her soul pulled even stronger until half of it ripped off, never to be felt again.

It left her raw and angered.

Her father was enraged, “Nyssa! Explain yourself now girl.”

Nyssa shook her head as and looked at her father; his deep-sunken eyes were cold and wide in disappointment. His body was hunched over and tensed, ready to pounce with power should it be needed. Her father held the blade in his right hand at shoulder height, pointed in her direction and his left hand was closed in a fist.

“You killed her,” Nyssa’s mouth barely moved as she whispered. “You killed Sara.”

A flash of recognition crossed his face and he lowered his blade-wielding arm and straightened to stand tall. Ra's eyes pierced hers, “It had to be done.”

Nyssa shook her head again in disbelief, “Why?”

Ra's stepped closer, “You cannot expect to be the Heir to a League such as our own if you have such a blatant weakness. She was yours.”

Nyssa clenched her jaw, “So you killed her?”

Ra's held both arms out to his side, “Love is weakness girl. I’ve told you many a time.”

She stepped back and away. Oliver took Ra's distraction as a chance to move from the cliff edge, he slowly circled around Ra's until he was a few feet beside Nyssa.

“You had no right,” Oliver grunted.

Ra's raised his head and looked down on Oliver and Nyssa, “Oh, I had every right. I made the best decision for my child Mister Queen.”

Nyssa took multiple harsh steps forward in anger until she was nose to nose with Ra’s, “It was the best decision for you! Not me!”

“Look at you girl,” Ra's spoke slowly, “Look at what that traitor has turned you into. Before she intruded into our lives, you would have never defied me. You were an obedient daughter; you would have never thought to question me. She made you like this.”

“Sara,” Nyssa raised her voice, “Was my soul, she made me stronger. She taught me that it was okay to fight for what I believe in. That it was acceptable to show emotion, to love. She gave me freedom.”

“There is no freedom within the League.”

Nyssa knew she would not get through to him the way she had hoped, so she tried her trump card.

“You broke League law,” Nyssa said slowly and backed away until there was a good distance between them.

“Sara Lance, Ta-er al-Sahfer was my soul. For three millennia, the League of Assassins has had one law that should be upheld above any other. None shall interfere with the sacred bonds of souls.” Nyssa maintained eye contact with Ra's and removed her dagger from its holster and raised it to point at him.

Ra's looked amused and titled his head to the right, “Are you really going to kill me, girl? Over the death of that traitor?”

“That traitor you speak of was everything to me.”

Oliver looked unsurely to the Heir assassin in, she was extremely volatile. He had his blade ready in his hand just in case things went even more downhill. He had no knowledge of the law the Al Ghul’s spoke of, he only knew of the Trail by Combat because it had come up in a conversation with Sara before her death. However, from Nyssa’s words, he deduced that what Ra's had done, had far more reaching consequences than he had previously thought.

Nyssa planted her feet firmly in the snow-covered ground, “That is why you forbid me to search for her killer, why you gave the assignment to Oliver and his team. It wasn’t just about revenge for them protecting Malcolm Merlyn; you couldn’t chance it that I would find the killer.”

Ra's didn’t speak and his mouth turned downwards.

“I went through hell because I could not seek justice myself because you had forbidden it. You had her killed and every day I was interacting with her murderer without knowing it.”

 “Sara Lance betrayed you and the League yet you would put her above all else, above your own father.” Ra's crossed his arms behind his back, the blade in his hand rested on the back of his leg.

“Ta-er al-Sahfer returned to me; that is all that matters.”

Ra's remained silent for ten seconds that out in the mountains, surrounded by thick tension, felt like years. “And what are you going to do next?”

Nyssa blinked, “It is my duty, as Heir, to uphold the law.”

Ra's chuckled mockingly, “And what do you think will happen when you return with Sarab and I missing? They are loyal to me; they will not fall under your rule.”

Nyssa smirked slowly, “You are unwise to underestimate me, father. The League would prefer to serve me than you; I am more benevolent than you and I will treat them with respect.”

“You will give them a freedom to stab you in the back.”

Nyssa walked closer, “They will be more loyal if I give them a reason to be.”

Ra's dropped his blade in the snow and took large steps towards her. He grabbed her dagger wielding wrist and pulled her hand closer until the tip of the dagger was pressed against his chest, right above his heart.

“Do it then, kill your father, take the risk. I just hope you remember all that I have done for you.” He said arrogantly.

Nyssa looked in the indent the dagger made on his flesh and she doubted herself slightly. He had killed Sara but he had also raised her after her mother died in childbirth.

He had killed Sara but taught her how to survive.

She looked him in the eyes.

He had killed Sara and in the same process,  _her own soul_.

Determinedly, with all her strength, she plunged the dagger into his heart. She watched as for first time in her life, he looked genuinely shocked and the light soon left his eyes.

Nyssa pulled the dagger out and the body of Ra's fell heavily to the snow that quickly stained red.

Her soul had calmed; satisfied now that the killer of its other half had been slain. Only a deep ache of longing and loneliness remained.

She sagged heavily with a deep sigh and turned to the forgotten man behind her. They maintained eye contact for a time and finally, she nodded at him and retreated into the distance, leaving Oliver bewildered on top of the mountain.

“It is done Habiti,” Nyssa whispered.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed a different take on who killed Sara and the 3x09 mid season finale.  
> According to Arrow Wikia, Maseo/Sarab did arrive in the same year as Sara.


End file.
